The present invention relates in general to a method and system for analyzing hair, predicting achievable end colors, outputting the predicted achievable colors and recommending hair color agents based on recipient specific input.
Countless individuals all over the world seek to improve their physical appearance through the use of hair coloring agents. As a result there is an extremely large choice of available products for consumers to choose from. Often, the individual consumer finds it difficult to determine which hair coloring agent to choose and also predict what it will look like given their current hair color.
Some hair coloring agents are sold in packaging which depicts a coloring chart usually containing three starting colors and three corresponding ending colors after dyeing. Some systems have been developed that attempt to overlay pictures of hair colors over a picture of the consumer. Other systems attempt to match products to starting colors using an indexing system. However, none of these systems provide a personalized color prediction based on a starting hair value (such as color) of the recipient in a manner which is not limited by a specific number of inputs. As such, consumers may not achieve an ending hair color which is reasonably close to the promised hair color. Furthermore, none of the systems are made integral in the purchasing experience by synergistically combining a hair color analyzing system with a product line of hair coloring agents.
What is needed is a method and system to analyze hair, predict achievable end colors, output the predicted achievable colors and recommend hair color agents based on recipient specific input.
The present invention is directed to a method and system for analyzing hair, predicting achievable end colors and recommending hair color agents based on recipient specific input.
In one aspect, the invention is directed to a method for identifying an achievable end hair color based upon at least one starting hair value of a recipient. This method includes the steps of inputting at least one starting hair value of a recipient and then identifying at least one achievable end hair color based upon the starting hair value.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to a method for identifying a hair coloring agent based upon at least one starting hair value of a recipient. This method includes the steps of inputting at least one starting hair value of a recipient, inputting a family color selection, and outputting at least one working image depicting an achievable end hair color based upon the starting hair value and the family color selection. This method may also include one or more steps to enhance the appearance of the outputted working image to account for any differences between the characteristics of the lighting under which the starting hair value is obtained versus the lighting under which the working image is viewed.
In yet another aspect, the invention is directed to a method for outputting an image for a hair color analyzing system including the steps of inputting a working image of a person; inputting an achievable end hair color; converting RGB color values of the working image to L, a, and b color values; computing averaged L, a, and b color values of the working image; computing new L, a, and b color values based on the working image L, a, and b color values, the working image averaged L, a, and b color values and the achievable end hair color; and then converting the new L, a, and b color values to RGB values.
In still yet another aspect, the invention is directed to a method for providing a hair coloring product to a consumer comprising the steps of identifying achievable end hair colors for the consumer, depicting the achievable end colors to the consumer, allowing the consumer to select a desired end hair color, and recommending to the consumer a hair coloring agent to achieve said desired end hair color.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the detailed description provided below.